


In between the Waves

by hannahrox241



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Also there is no good fanfic for MinAo, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Anal, Doki Doki, Eventually will have sex, F/F, F/M, Gay, Gen, I like KouAo and ClearAo a little bit better than MinAo but Minky poo fits the role, KouNoi is not my thing but a lot of people like it so its in the story ayyyy, M/M, Mermaids, MinAo is life, Multi, Pirate AU, Probably will become m rated, yeah buddy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-24
Packaged: 2018-07-29 05:19:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7671637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hannahrox241/pseuds/hannahrox241
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aoba Seragaki found a new job as a cabin boy on the Dream Catcher through his childhood friend. The man in charge of the ship is called Mink. Mink is famously known for his stoicism and mercilessness when anyone gets into his way. When one of their shipmates falls dangerously ill, it is up to Aoba and the rest of the crew to find a cure, with the help of two mermaids, a clueless explorer, and a beautiful princess. Aoba quickly realizes that this sickness is not just any cold. He begins to learn more about Mink, the ship, and even who he himself really is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Today is the day Aoba Seragaki becomes a true pirate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a lame summary but this is my first story on ao3. I hope you enjoy it. It's not proofed so there are probably typos.

Today isn’t just any normal morning at the Seragaki house. This morning involves twenty-three year old Aoba running through the hallway, half-naked, searching for his so-called “lucky” pants. Today is the day Aoba would leave his home and officially become part of a ship crew.

            “Grammy! Have you seen my lucky pants?” Aoba yells throughout the house.

            “Be quiet, you stupid boy! They’re in the dryer. You should’ve looked there first!” Tae shouts back.

            Both Tae and Aoba are quite loud people; like grandmother like grandson they always say. Though Tae can get on Aoba’s nerves sometimes, he still can’t deny how much he loves and cares for her. The Seragaki family is known for being a large line of pirates. Aoba’s parents had been pirates, and they were the best pirates in all of the seven seas. Aoba can still remember the days when his father and mother would come home and tell him amazing stories about their travels. His parents went on a voyage many years ago, but they have never come back. No matter how much Aoba and Tae wished for them to come home safely, they gave up. They assumed it was mutiny, or maybe their ship crashed, but they haven’t even heard about Aoba’s parents for over a decade. This is why it was Aoba’s mission to keep the line of pirates going, which is precisely the reason he is looking for his lucky polka-dot underpants.

            “Ah! Here they are!” Aoba says, slipping on the undergarments before pulling up his baggy trousers. “Ren, get me the directions for White Road Port.”

            “Got it, Aoba,” replies the small blue lump of fur. Of course the lump of fur refers to Aoba’s allmate, Ren. Ren is an old puppy model, but Aoba has been through so much with him, so he could never replace Ren.

            “Ok! Grammy, we’re heading out.”

            “Wait, before you go—“

            Aoba turns around and sees Tae next to him. She then embraces him in a warm hug, and Aoba holds her too.

            “Please,” she grips tighter, “You are so precious to me, be careful out there. We both know what could happen. Write home, ok?”

            “Of course, Grammy, I love you,” Aoba says in response.

            “I love you too.”

            After holding each other for quite some time, they let go.

            “Hurry up, you dumb boy, you’ll be late.”

            Aoba sighs, “Yeah yeah, I’m going.”

            He starts walking along with Ren, and they exit the front door. Breathing in the crisp summer air, Aoba knows that this day will go great. He feels a little nervous, but he has pirate in his blood, so he feels that he can handle it. As he and Ren walk around the block, he is instantly reminded of the days he spent as a child there. Aoba begins reminiscing about playing with his childhood friend, Koujaku, on the playground. When Aoba felt lonely or missed his parents, Koujaku was always there to cheer him up; he was like a hero to Aoba. They always played pirates, and it was just such a great feeling to know that when they grew up, they would become pirates themselves. Koujaku is the reason that Aoba has this job. The two still are great friends. Koujaku must have told the captain that Aoba is the son of the legendary Seragaki pirates. Because Koujaku is four years Aoba’s senior, he was able to set sailing long before Aoba. But now, it was Aoba’s time to shine. Finally, Aoba and Ren reach White Road Port.

            “Aoba!” Aoba turns around to hear his name being called by none other than Koujaku. “I haven’t seen you in forever.”

            “How are you doing, hippo?” Aoba snaps back at him.

            “Ehhh? You’re still calling me hippo, you need to grow up.”

            Aoba starts chuckling, “When you stop being Koujaku, I’ll stop calling you hippo.”

            “No fair,” Koujaku crosses his arms, “I know you missed me.”

            “Of course I did, you big lug.”

            “So, did you get a girlfriend yet, or are you still forever single?” Koujaku starts smirking.

            “Gee, I don’t know, did you finally stop sleeping with every chick you see?” Aoba retorts back.

            “Hey, I love women, and they love me. You’re just jealous because you never get laid.” Koujaku always knew what made Aoba tick.

            “Shut up… Hippo…”

            “I see you’re reverting back to your childish ways.” Koujaku put on that one lady-killer smile that Aoba despises.

            “Whatever, just let me see what ship I’m going to be in,” says Aoba.

“It’s right in front of you, doofus. Feast your eyes upon Japan’s finest ship, the Dream Catcher. Isn’t she a beauty?” Koujaku speaks with admiration as he says these words. Aoba didn’t even realize the huge ship right in front of them. And darn, it was a beauty. It’s perfectly sturdy masts along with the delicate rigging. Its deck was the largest ever seen, not to mention the dream catcher carved onto the head of the ship. Wow, Aoba was sure looking forward to being a pirate, which was his lifelong dream after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is Hella short, but it's a prologue. The other chapters will hopefully be longer.


	2. Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba meets the ship crew and learns about how to work. However, the captain isn't very fond of him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's 2 am so there are probably 100000 typos. I'll check it later. This is really really rushed, but I just wanted to show some of the characters and such. It's longer than the last one, though.

            “Ok, you scallywags! Get your asses on the boat!” A voice shouts in the direction of the ship. Though, Aoba didn’t seem to hear these words, as he was still admiring the ship. This is really it. Today is the day that his dreams will come true, to keep the family tradition going strong. The feeling was surreal, really. Aoba has prepared his whole life for this. He spent a long time picking out clothes the night before, making sure he wouldn’t dress too poorly, but not too richly either. The outfit consists of brown trousers, which may be a couple sizes too large for his slim waist.  The shirt he picked out was a white dress shirt that was cuffed on the sleeves and a little bit poofy on the chest, giving it the perfect pirate-y feel that Aoba loves. The look is topped off with a petticoat and a white bandana wrapped around Aoba’s long, blue hair. And of course, his lucky underpants, under all of that.

            “Aoba, that’s our cue. Let’s go.” Aoba was immediately snapped out of his daze when hearing his friend’s voice.

            “Mm, I know.” Aoba picked up Ren, who also had little pirate booties on, and he put him into his bag.

            Walking behind Koujaku, Aoba began looking at his surroundings. The water today was not rough, but not too easy, which was perfect for sailing. Many miles of blue ocean sparkle, much like the fins of a fish, Aoba thought. Looking at the ocean like this always calmed Aoba down. As a child, he always heard voices in his head. The voices fought over each other, causing Aoba not to be able to hear anything outside of his mind, making him antisocial. Every day, adults would try to talk to him, but he couldn’t hear them. No, all he could hear were those voices, echoing back and forth. Though, the one day he went on the beach, he listened to the waves, and the voices in his head stopped. The crashing to the waves onto the sand replays in his head over in over, drowning out the talking. It was so calming for him, just to hear the waves sway back and forth, the salty ocean air on his skin. Beaches still act as a safe haven for him. Aoba safely makes it onto the ship and looks up to see the huge flag flying from the pole. Amazing, he thought to himself. He was finally here; his lifelong goal achieved. However, once he looked down to the ground, things weren’t as amazing. Of course, a pirate ship wasn’t supposed to be the cleanest, but it looked much cleaner from a distance. The floorboards were covered with black, sticky mold, and creaked whenever you stepped. Rotting food was all over the sides of the ship, giving it an unimaginable smell. Heck, a rat ran over Aoba’s boots right when he got on. Well, he’d better get used to this; he’ll be spending most of his time here after all. Attempting to not smell the stench around him, Aoba desperately tried to breathe through his mouth.

            “Today, we have a new member of the Dream Catcher. Don’t kill him.”

            Aoba whips his head around to see the captain of the ship. The man had a tan complexion and visibly large muscles in his right arm. His dark brown, messy dreadlocks were wrapped with a pink bandana and a captain’s hat. The captain had an allmate sitting on his shoulder, a parakeet model. It was pink and assorted with many accessories, which would even look like a lot on a human. He looked to be around thirty or forty, and damn, he was intimidating, Aoba thought to himself.         

“You,” The captain pointed at Aoba, staring at him with his golden eyes. Aoba looked back, with his similar chartreuse ones. The intense gaze the man pushed onto Aoba was enough to scare the daylights out of him. The captain glared at him for quite some time, until he finally broke the silence. “Starting today, you will be a cabin boy.” Aoba didn’t know how to respond, so he kept quiet for a little bit, and then blurted some words back in response.

            “Aye aye, captain!” Aoba managed to day while still kind of holding his breath, trying not to black out from the odor. He felt Koujaku warningly elbow him in the side. Aoba starts to get the hint that shouldn’t have said that after all.

            “Hmph,” the captain grunts, “Pathetic.” He then proceeds to walk away.

            This first impression couldn’t have been any worse. Aoba starts feeling really embarrassed when he notices some of the other crew members trying to cover up their laughter. Then, a man starts walking towards Aoba’s general direction.

            “Don’t worry about Captain Mink, he can be harsh sometimes but he’s really a cool guy,” says the man. “I’m Mizuki by the way, quarter master, nice meeting you.”

            “Hi, I’m Aoba.” Mizuki seemed friendly to Aoba, at least. He had short reddish purple locks and dark skin, along with teardrop tattoo under his eye. He was covered in leather, his coat, pants, boots, all made from the expensive material. Aoba approximated that this man was about the same age as Koujaku, which is strange considering that quarter master is a really high rank.

            “Hey! Officer Koujaku, is this the guy you were talking about?” Mizuki’s tone changed once he saw Aoba.

            “Oh yeah, I told you he was a little bit scrawny.” Koujaku then puts the poor blue-haired into a head lock position, Aoba trying to break free from his grasps. Koujaku was always like this. He loves to tease his friends, especially Aoba. Though Koujaku seems very egoistic and arrogant, he has a big heart for everyone and he really truly cares for people. This charm makes him really popular among the ladies, as they are all dying for the handsome pirate Koujaku to stop at their ports and hang out with them. He is not surprisingly well known for sleeping around a lot, much to Aoba’s disgust. In fact, Aoba was really surprised that Koujaku was an officer on this ship. The older man had never really mentioned his status on the Dream Catcher. Aoba figured that Koujaku was just an everyday sailor, but no. His childhood friend was now many positions in front of him. Though, Aoba was sure that he would catch up to him soon.

            “Ha, ha, very funny, Koujaku.” Mizuki smiles.

            “Help… Me…” Aoba barely makes out these words in Koujaku’s death grip.

            “One second, Aoba,” Aoba felt relieved that Mizuki was going to help him, but then Aoba feels a strange sensation on his hair.

            “Oi, get your hands off my hair!” Mizuki starts laughing too, ruffling Aoba’s soft blue locks.

            “It’s so silky! Much like a woman’s! Now I see why you like him so much, Koujaku.”

            “Right? I’ve told him that he has to get it cut,” Koujaku responds, still holding Aoba.

            “It’s not like your hair is that much shorter, Koujaku!”

            Aoba did have a point. Koujaku’s indigo hair was a good three inches below his shoulder. Though that hair, his dazzling reddish eyes, and his smile are what really get people’s attention.

            “Hey, stop tormenting the new guy, you idiots.”

            Aoba looks up, and stares at the person in front of him. This man had blonde hair that was hard to see when it was tucked into his hat. His face was studded with many piercings, including snake bites on his mouth and the bridge of his nose. Green, cat-like eyes looked over at the three boys.

            “Hey brat! Don’t talk back at me. I’m on a higher status than you.” Koujaku yells back, letting go of his grip on Aoba. Though Aoba was happy to be released, he couldn’t help but wonder what this blonde dude’s problem is.

            “Well, at least I have some brains instead of pretending to be all that…”

            “What did you say, bean sprout? That’s it, I have no tolerance for teenagers you like you.” Aoba is immediately surprised. The so-called brat looks more mature than Aoba himself; he’s definitely taller at least. Koujaku starts to pull out the sword from his sheath. “I’m going to kill you for real this time.”

            “Bring it on,” the teen gets fists into a fighting position. They looked like they were in a full on fight. After all, Koujaku had a fairly short temper. If anyone he doesn’t like picks on him, he will go all out.

            “Guys, guys! Stop fighting, Captain Mink might see you.” Mizuki tries to say, breaking the two up. Then immediately, Koujaku puts his sword back, and the teen puts his fists down. The teen calmly walks away. So Mink is the captain’s name... He must have a lot of authority if Koujaku and the pierced kid stopped fighting upon hearing Mink’s name.

            “Geez, that Noiz kid doesn’t know when to stop.” Koujaku grunts.  

            “Noiz?” Aoba’s never heard a name like that before.

            “Yeah, Mink picked up this idiot from Germany, because he apparently knows how to fix up ships, allmates, and all of that smart person crap. At first we just wanted him to fix a broken mast, but he just ended up staying. I wish Mink would’ve just let him go.”

            “Germany? That’s so far away! H-How does he know Japanese?”

            “We don’t know much about that,” Mizuki jumps into the conversation. “Also Aoba, we’re pirates. We travel all around the globe, so Germany isn’t THAT big of a deal.”

            “I know…” Aoba is instantly reminded of his grandmother, and he starts to think about how much he will miss her. He knew that he was going to go far away for a long time, but the feeling of it is starting to hit him already. Maybe being a pirate is harder than he thought.

            “Hmm, well cabin boy, since I’m the quarter master, let me teach you the ropes a little bit.” Mizuki then leads Aoba to the cabins.

            “I heard that cabin boys were supposed to be under sixteen, why am I one then?” Aoba was seriously wondering about this the whole time. As he and Mizuki walked through the hallways, Mizuki answered a lot of questions he had about this place. Aoba would’ve been totally lost without him here. Thank goodness someone other than Koujaku was welcoming him. It was around afternoon by then, though the halls were still dim. It was slightly cleaner than the top deck that was covered in god knows what.

          “Well, I don’t know how the Captain picks, but I think he picks cabin boys based on maturity, not actual age.”

            “Ehh? Does that mean I don’t seem mature to him?”

            “I guess so.” Mizuki says with the same smile on his face, snickering a little bit.

            “No fair…” Mizuki continued to teach Aoba what to do and how to do it for many hours until it was late at night. They had to light up the candles in the hallway, which gave it a spooky, yet homey appearance.

            “You’ll have to be cleaning up after some of these people and fetching them things.”

            “Mhm.” Aoba was listening along to the information Mizuki was giving him, though, it was a lot to remember right away. For example, how to clean each room for each rank, what time to bring them food, what temperature the bath water has to be.

            “It may seem like a lot now, but trust me,” Mizuki leaned in a little closer to whisper into Aoba’s ear. “Most shipmates start out as cabin boys and then become the highest officers, like Koujaku for instance.”

            “Really? No way.” Aoba was trying to keep in his laughter imagining Koujaku mopping floors. Maybe Koujaku really wasn’t the best ever when it came to being a pirate. Aoba knew Koujaku was a bit immature, but was he immature enough to be a cabin boy?

            “Oh, I forgot to warn you. If you ever have to help the Captain, be extra super quiet around three or four o’clock. He’ll be reading in his room, and if you disturb him for too long, bad things will be sure to happen.”

            “Captain Mink reads? What will happen if you disturb him?”

            “You’ll be on bathroom duty for a month, or something even worse, I don’t want to say. And yes, just because he doesn’t talk a whole lot and he seems all tough, he reads.”

           Aoba it still a bit curious about what other punishments the captain gives. This Mink guy confuses him. Why is he so harsh on people? Aoba heard that captains were supposed to care for their crew, but everyone on this crew seems to be afraid of him. Whatever it is, Aoba is curious to figure out why. After Mizuki is done teaching him about being a cabin boy, Aoba sits on the side of the dock. Most people on the ship are asleep by now, probably even Koujaku. Aoba lets out a long sigh, and then opens up his bag and takes out the blue lump of fur, Ren.

           “Ren… Today has been quite a day. Though it wasn’t inviting, I still learned a lot from Mizuki and Koujaku.”

            Ren replies, “I’m happy that you are doing well, Aoba.”

            “I kind of miss home already, but the ocean here really calms me down. I’m happy I took you with me. Home is where the heart is, and, Ren, you are in my heart.”

            “Aoba…”

            Aoba then presses his forehead together with Ren’s puppy one. It’s been a little thing they’ve done for a while now. It shows each other that they are both there for each other.

            “Ah, well, I’ve done a lot today, so I better be going to bed soon,” Aoba yawns. “Actually, I might keep looking at the sea a little bit more.”

            And like he said, Aoba looks out onto the beautiful blue deep. It is a lot more different than it is at night. The mood was a bit euphoric, yet pleasing. It was rather cool at that time, so Aoba let Ren snuggle into his coat to keep warm. The water sparkled in the moonlight, kind of like fish fins, he thought to himself as he and Ren watched the boat move forward.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! I love Ren so much. Anyways, next chapter we'll be meeting some more people. I'll try to update soon!


	3. Shining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba meets someone on the edge of the boat. Then, he learns about a new rule the ship has...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I proofed this one this time! Also, I'm so so sorry I made Aoba seem like a huge jerk. I love him so much, he is not like this :( I'm sorry it will only be this one chapter.

* * *

           Still looking out at the ocean, Aoba sighs. The breeze continued to flow through his shiny blue locks. He takes off the bandana around his head, placing the thin, white cloth next to him. This is really it, he kept thinking. Even with the hostility of the other crew members, Aoba felt undeniably happy and excited for what’s more to come.

            “Ren, I think it’s time to go back in.” Aoba taps the little blue lump of fur. Ren was already asleep snuggling into Aoba’s coat. The sight was just too adorable. “Geez, let’s go you little lazy bum.” Then Ren immediately went out of sleep mode, and he opened up his little blue eyes.

            “Sorry, Aoba. I must have fallen asleep while in your coat. My dearest apologies.”

            “Rennnn! You don’t have to apologize for such a thing.”

            Aoba picks up the small dog and goes to place him into his bag. Right before he opened up his bag, his gaze instantly moved onto the vast sea. The water was still sparkling as always, maybe even more than it was before. No, this water did not look as naturally gleaming as usual. Aoba places Ren down for a little bit.

            “One second, does the water look funny to you, or is it just me?”

            “It seems that there is something under there, Aoba.”

            Aoba starts tilting his head a little bit to take a closer look. Right when he did that two heads popped out of the water, catching Aoba off guard and causing him to shriek.

            “Oh my god. Hey! You shouldn’t be swimming in there at this time!" Aoba immediately starts freaking out. “You’ll freeze to death! U-Uh, do you need anything! I’ll get a rope, just grab on and I’ll pull you up.” When it came to emergencies like this, Aoba always got really jittery. “Ren, where are the ropes?” The puppy looks back at him clueless, and then the two people in the water start talking.

            “Please calm down, we’re fine.” Aoba looks down into the water after hearing this surprisingly composed voice.

            “Yeah, yeah,” the second voice says.

            “I-I don’t think any person would be fine in freezing cold water!” Aoba is honestly concerned for these people in the water now. How could they possibly be fine?

            “Oh, of course no human would be fine in these waters.” It’s the first voice again. They talk in a mocking type of tone, like they’re trying to make Aoba feel stupid.

            “Huh?! What are you trying to…” Then the dots all connected in Aoba’s mind. Underwater… In the freezing cold night… Glistening water… They aren’t— They couldn’t be—

            “We’re mermaids.” That second voice again; it sounds deeper than the first. Aoba looked down into the water and saw the two flipping their shiny, blue-green tails up and down. No way, this is not happening. This is impossible. When he was younger, his parents told him stories about mermaids all of the time. They are mesmerizing, beautiful creatures; yet, they can lure sailors in and kill them. One story in particular stood out to Aoba when he was little. His father told him a story where he and Aoba’s mother were on their boat, the Blue Leaf. The Blue Leaf was named after Aoba, of course, their beloved son. Apparently, they warned their crew never to sing, talk, or associate themselves with any mermaid, no matter how beautiful or seemingly kind they are. One night, the cook on the ship saw a mermaid. When telling this story, Aoba’s mother always said the mermaid was, “almost as beautiful as me”, which always made tiny Aoba crack up. The gorgeous mermaid sang to the cook, and he moved closer and closer to her until he fell over the railing, into the water. Once he fell, the creature grew razor sharp teeth, and took the cook under the water with her. The crew of the Blue Leaf never found him again. Aoba believed these stories, and he was terrified of them too. As he grew up, he thought that his parents simply made up these stories to entertain their son, but he was so, so wrong. Remembering these tales, Aoba immediately tried to get away from the side of the boat; he didn’t want anything bad to happen.

            “Hey, don’t leave. You don’t want to be rude to your company, do you?” the mermaid sighed, “Thanks a lot, Trip. You scared him away.”

            “Not my fault, Virus.”

            So Trip and Virus were their names. They don’t sound very beautiful to Aoba, but he doesn’t know much about mermaids.

            “Um, are you, Virus and Trip… Twins?” is all Aoba can make out. He is still very afraid of them, it seems almost like a dream to him. Maybe he was just tired and already sleeping out on the deck. Maybe the smell of the mold made him hallucinate. Whatever it was, Aoba tried to convince himself that these blood-thirsty creatures aren’t real. These two don’t look blood-thirsty at all, he kept telling himself.

            “We are not twins”

            “We’re not twins”

            They looked almost identical in Aoba’s point of view. Both had blonde spiky hair, which made it a mystery of how it stayed that way while they swam. The smaller one, probably Virus, had spectacle like objects on his face, probably made of shells and stone. Both had shiny stone earrings and teal tails.

            “Also, I prefer to be called a merman, not a mermaid, Trip.”

            “Yeah, yeah…”The two seemed to bicker back and forth, much like an old married couple.

            “Anyways, what’s your name, human? I’m Virus, and that numbskull is Trip.”

            Aoba was kind of nervous being near these two, so he stuttered a bit while talking. “I-I’m Aoba, and this is Ren.” He picked up his allmate.

            “Hi, Aooooba and Ren,” says Trip.

            “Hello, Aoba and Ren. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Virus and Trip each had a really different dialect. That was one of their only differences, really.

            “Well, I guess I better get going, nice meeting you Virus, Tri—“

            Aoba’s words are cut off by Virus.

            “Wait! Don’t you want to stay and entertain us? There are a lot of myths about mermaids, but it’s not true for us. Trip and I are nice mermen, right, Trip?”

            “Yeah, yeah. We’re friendly, Aoba.”

            Something was telling Aoba that this was really, really wrong. Yet, Aoba was too polite to deny their offers. It wasn’t like he going to jump off the ledge for them. He decided to stay there and talk to them. Ren was there to restrain him if things went wrong anyways; Aoba could always trust Ren to be there for him.

            “Ok, I’ll stay, but only for a little bit”

            “Yay Aoooba!”

            “We’re your number one fans.”

            Aoba sighed. These two were really something. “Isn’t the ocean beautiful?”

            “Of course,” Trip says. “It’s our wonderful home.”

            “Yes, the shimmering of the moonlight is really something, isn’t it?”

            The three continued this type of small talk for quite some time. It was refreshing to talk to some people on here. They would ask something and Aoba would respond, so on and so forth. Giggles were exchanged when someone said something funny. Aoba started to have a better opinion of mermaids now, or mermen. Whatever they wanted to be called.

            “Your dog is very cute, Ren, is it?” Virus asks.

            “Yes, that is my name. Though, I would rather not be called cute, please. Thank you very much.” Ren was awake during the whole conversation.

            “Now, now Ren.” Aoba starts laughing and the rest laugh along.

            Aoba doesn’t know how much time has passed, but he hears someone yell his name.

            “AOBA! What are you doing?!” The voice is familiar, it’s Koujaku. Why is he up at this time?

            “K-Koujaku?! I’m just talking to—“

            “Aoba! Are those mermaids? Get away from them! They’re trying to lure you in. Haven’t you ever heard of the stories? That’s basic pirate knowledge!”

            “Excuse me,” Virus steps into the conversation. “We’re mermen, and Aoba has been being very nice to us, so please, let us be.”

            “Koujaku! It’s not what you think. Maybe some mermaids are bloodthirsty, and some want to use pirates for their own personal reasons, but Virus and Trip are not like that!”

            “Oh, so you know each other’s names now? Aoba, please, get away from them. I care for you, I don’t want you to get hurt.” Koujaku starts walking forward.

            “Koujaku! You’re so shallow! No wonder you always pick out women like they’re objects!” Maybe he was tired; maybe it was the smell of the deck. This couldn’t really be happening. He didn’t mean a lot of the stuff he said. “All you do is try to humiliate me! Just get away. I’m trying to talk to people who care about me.”

            The indigo haired man was shocked at Aoba’s words. How could his childhood friend say something so cruel to him?

            “It’s ok, Aoba. We understand how some humans feel about us. We’ll be leaving now. I hope we’ll meet up again,” Virus talks with his cool and composed voice.

            “Yeah, yeah. Bye bye Aoooba!” Trip adds on. The two dive back into the water and their tails continue to shine as the swim.

            Now Aoba and Koujaku are alone, and the silence between them made it really awkward. Koujaku looked at Aoba with an angry face, trying to say something. No words come out, so Koujaku just starts walking over to the officer cabins. Aoba is stunned, he just watched Koujaku walk away. It made him a feel really guilty for saying all of those horrible things. Aoba had to go sleep soon. He checked the time on his coil. Past midnight. Pirates on this ship have to get up at five am sharp. Aoba would have probably been too excited to sleep anyways. He picked up Ren from the ground and started walking to his room. Aoba started to contemplate the events of this night. If he’d just not have stared into the sea, this whole thing would have been avoided. Though, Aoba enjoyed meeting the two mermaids, no, mermen. Tomorrow, Koujaku was bound to forgive him, as he forgives people fairly easy. Aoba would also have to apologize. Then maybe this whole thing would be forgotten. Aoba hopes. He continues to walk through the hallway, remembering everything Mizuki taught him that day. Finally he opens the door to his room and plops himself onto the bed. He really forgot just how tired he was.

           “Ren, what do I do?!”

           “It will all be ok. Just please get some sleep for tomorrow.”

           “I will; goodnight.”

           “Goodnight, Aoba.”

           Aoba then puts Ren into sleep mode. It wasn’t long until Aoba fell into a deep sleep. He dreamt about being a pirate, and he remembered about Virus and Trip.

           Aoba awoke upon hearing a loud horn noise. That was probably the wakeup call on the ship. Aoba didn’t change out of his clothes from last night, but he figured he’d re-wear them for today. If he needed to be a pirate, he needed to smell like one. He smelled significantly better than most of the people on the ship, so he really needed to downgrade. Aoba was a little bit tired, but his anxiousness to pursue something today took over his fatigue. He pulled Ren out of his bag and turned him on.

           “Good morning! I’m ready for whatever will be happening today!”

           “That’s great, Aoba.”

           “Woo-hoo! Let’s go! Ren, put on your booties!”

           Ren went into Aoba’s bag and used his mouth to pull out the tiny pirate boots that Aoba made especially for him. Ren was scooped up into his owner’s loving arms and then each boot was placed on each of his tiny pink paws.

           They began to walk together onto the deck. Aoba saw all of the other pirates on the boat. Some looked double his age, some much younger. A lot of them were talking, looking at the ocean, and rough housing. Aoba felt a little bit lonely and out of place here. He was sure that he’d know the ship members soon, and then he’ll have someone to talk to other than Koujaku and Mizuki. Speaking of Koujaku, he has to apologize to him, Aoba almost forgot.

           Aoba looks for his friend until he finally finds him talking to the Captain. Aoba patiently waits for their conversation to be over. After what seemed like hours, Captain Mink finally walks away from Koujaku.

           “Koujaku!” Aoba yells, hoping to catch the older man’s attention.

           Koujaku turns to see Aoba. The expression on Koujaku’s face looks a little bit troubled, but then it turns into a greeting smile. “Good morning, Aoba. How does it feel to sleep on a real ship?”

           Aoba chuckles a bit, “It’s good, just a little rocky since I’m in the lower rank cabins.”

           “Ha ha, it is a lot nicer in the officer ones. Maybe, when you get onto my level, you’ll get to experience it too.” Now, Aoba couldn’t push it off, he had to tell him now.

           “Oh, Koujaku, I have something to tell you…” Koujaku’s face grows serious at Aoba’s words. “Sorry, for last night. I was being a huge jerk. I shouldn’t have talked to… Mermaids… Or mermen, I have no clue. I didn’t mean half the words I said, I was being so awful. Sorry, again.”

           “Aoba, it’s completely fine. I’m sorry for judging you and the mermaids. I just wanted to protect you, but I trust that you can fend for yourself.”

           “Thank you, Koujaku.” Quietness. There’s that same awkward silence that Aoba despises. The silence doesn’t last too long because Aoba thankfully thought of something to say. “Anyways, Ren and I are all prepared to take on whatever we’re doing today! Oh where’s Beni? Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen him at all yet.”

           Beni is Koujaku’s allmate. He is a small bird model, and is made up of red and black patterns. Beni and Ren have known each other for a long time, so they are pretty good friends.

           “Oh Aoba, that’s something else I meant to tell you. You can’t take your allmate out on the deck, and you can’t take them out even if we are on an island or port. Only the captain is allowed to...” Koujaku tries to talk as nicely as he can. He knows about Aoba and Ren’s strong relationship, so he doesn’t want to hurt the younger man. “Most people didn’t even bring in allmate to begin with.”

           “Really? So you keep Beni in your room? I guess I’ll put Ren back in there, it was just a misunderstanding. They can always visit each other after all.”

           “No, um…” Koujaku tried to press this onto Aoba lightly. “You’re not allowed to have an allmate. Period. I don’t like the rule either, but its captain’s orders. And Beni is ok, he’s back home in Japan, I gave him to a friend.”

           Aoba couldn’t believe this. The one thing that reminded him of home won’t even get to go with him. And even worse, if Captain Mink found out about Ren, he’d probably throw him in the trash. The thought of losing Ren made Aoba feel extremely sad, yet angry. “Can’t I just hide him? He won’t bother anyone! I-I can’t leave Ren.” Aoba knew how stubborn he sounded, but he really meant it. His lack of sleep and homesickness made him especially irritable today. He usually isn’t like this, but still, his long-time friend is going to be thrown away.

          Aoba looks to the right of himself, seeing that Koujaku is trying to signal him to stop talking. The blue haired man starts feeling afraid of what is going on. It looks like all off the crew mates are staring at him. Did they hear what I said? He thought. Or maybe the worst possible thing that could’ve ever happened just happened. His heart drops. Aoba realizes that the crewmates aren’t staring at him, but their attention is fixed on the large, tall figure standing behind him.

           “U-um, hello, captain Mink…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! ViTri are mermaids! It was probably expected when I said two mermaids. Clear will be coming soon, after all he is personally my favorite character! I can't wait until he comes, but I have to write all of this first.


	4. Cleaning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aoba learns how much Captain Mink can do...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! This chapter is so boring, but I have to get the exposition going. I love how the chapters progressively get longer though.

           Aoba found himself in a position that no one would ever want to be in. His head instantly filled with ideas of what was going to happen next. _This is it. Today is the day I will die._ He looked up at Mink. The dark-skinned man was almost half a foot taller than him, making Aoba feel extremely intimidated, especially because Captain Mink was also right in front of him. The shorter man takes a deep breath from his nose. A certain smell that radiated from the captain was not one he expected. The scent was very nice, which was weird considering Mink was a pirate and a captain for goodness sake. It was almost calming, like cinnamon and incense. Whatever it was, Aoba felt a cool rush down his body every time he inhaled.

           “Oi,” the captain’s eyes focused closer to the ground until he saw the tiny, dark blue allmate next to Aoba. When Ren noticed Mink observing him, the dog scooted closer to his owner. Aoba’s heart was pumping. _Please, don’t take away my Ren._ “I don’t know if you knew this or not, but allmates are not allowed. Dispose of it immediately.”

           Aoba was shocked. Why doesn’t Captain Mink want allmates? It was hypocritical of him considering he had one of his own. All allmates do is help people. Pirates in this time period use a lot of technology, like allmates, to help them be successful. Even Aoba’s parents used them on their journeys. Back then, pirates didn’t use things that they have now, but since other machinery began to advance, pirates wouldn’t stand a chance against them with their old tools. That is why pirates learned that they had to adapt. They began incorporating modern tech to help them break into places, get away, and navigate much easier. Of course, they still keep many things traditional, like the ship. If anything, taking away allmates would make it many times harder to do anything. Why does Mink insist on specifically not allowing them? Remembering the task at hand, the blue haired man stared back down at his fluffy companion. Ren looked up at him with his sweet, little puppy eyes. Aoba couldn’t do it, not to Ren. He couldn’t throw him away like he was garbage.

           “I’m sorry, Captain.” All of the people on the boat were still watching with wide eyes. The new guy is doing it, he’s defying the captain. “Ren has always been there for me, he won’t hurt anyone if he stays.” Aoba feels even more scared. He glances back at the dirty ground, trying hard not to look at the large guy in front of him.

            “Why do yo even care? Allmates are just disposable products. You use one, throw it away, get a new one.” Mink’s words sounded almost cruel to Aoba. Maybe they are machines, but they have thoughts of their own.

            “Then, why do you have one?” Aoba didn’t want to sound mocking in any way, but it just sort of came out that way. He was honestly wondering it.

            Mink grabs Aoba by the shirt collar with one hand, and pulls him up so their faces almost touch. The shirt starts digging into the back of Aoba’s neck, making him feel a tinge of pain. Aoba looks at how Mink can effortlessly pull his whole body up with one hand. I’m so so sorry, Ren. The thoughts of being without his robotic dog companion start filling up his mind. Maybe Aoba could quit being a pirate, but no, quitting meant walking the plank, which was essentially suicide. Would he really quit now, after he tried so hard getting here? If Aoba defied the captain any more, the captain would probably kill Aoba himself. Being a pirate did involve giving up things you love, like soft beds, decent food, and clean floors. Maybe he had to make this sacrifice. Though, everything changed. Mink peers into Aoba’s light brown eyes one more time, and for one second, or maybe even less than that, Mink’s face looked almost afraid. Mink, the captain, afraid? Aoba probably just misinterpreted the face Mink made, that’s all.  

            “It can’t be…” Mink murmurs to himself under his breath.

            “Excuse me?” Aoba didn’t really hear what Mink just said then, but he didn’t need to hear, because his next action explained it plenty. A searing pain hits Aoba in the jaw. His whole face feels sore, he can’t move or react. He looks next to him, seeing Mink’s clenched fist. The captain was much stronger than Aoba realized. Blood started filling up his mouth, so much that when he bent over to spit it out, it splattered all over his boots. Mink forcefully pushes Aoba down, letting go of his shirt. The shorter man is now on the dirty floorboards, looking up at Mink for mercy. The shipmates were still watching, though their expressions changed. Koujaku, Mizuki, everyone now had faces of pity glued onto their faces, as if they know what is going to happen next. The captain starts walking towards Aoba, and the blue haired man scoots back.

            “You’re a Seragaki, right?”

            Aoba nods his head. He doesn’t think he can speak with his jaw busted like that.

            “You are one disgrace to your family.” Then just like that, he walks away, casually. Aoba didn’t know how to respond, he just felt awful on the inside and outside. The captain turns around, letting out a long sigh. “Go ahead, keep your allmate. Everyone, get back to work. Breakfast is in an hour.”

            Aoba slowly lifts himself off of the floor. Everybody is still stunned from what just happened, but they do as the captain says and get back to work. He sees Ren next to his feet and picks him up.

            “Aoba, are you ok? I’m so sorry you went through this for me. You should have just thrown me away.”

            “Ren, no one said being a pirate was easy… I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Aoba’s voice breaks a little bit, but he doesn’t cry. “I’ll take you back to my room; I need some ice for this.” He gestures at the huge crimson mark left by Mink’s fist.

            Aoba holds Ren in his arms as they walk back to the cabins. The blunt pain in his mouth hurt so badly, but he had to deal with it until he got some ice to numb it down. _Am I really a disgrace to the family?_ Aoba couldn’t shake off these feelings. He felt horrible and selfish. He shamed his whole family just because he wanted to keep his dog, a machine. After trudging through the dingy hallways, contemplating his life, Aoba makes it back to the tiny room.

            “Aoba, you need to leave me, I’ll be ok.”

            “And throw you out like garbage? No, don’t say that. Just stay here, I’ll come back at night. Thank you for being with me.”

            “Aoba…” Ren looks like he feels guilty, but he keeps talking. “The pleasure is mine.” Aoba turned Ren onto sleep mode and he went to the cooler for some ice. There weren’t any icepacks so he just took some ice cubes and put them in the side of his mouth. It didn’t really help much, but Aoba would deal with the pain anyways. _A disgrace. All I am is a disgrace. No, that captain doesn’t know what he’s saying._ What was the captain’s deal anyways? Aoba will show the dumb Mink guy that he is most definitely not a disgrace. All of a sudden, Aoba’s usual positive attitude started to come back. He will use this as motivation to get better and better. Even if he is just a cabin boy, he will become the best darn cabin boy this ship has ever seen.  

            “Breakfast time! I almost forgot!” Aoba runs out of his room, feeling inspired and excited, like how he felt this morning. Dashing through the halls, he reaches the kitchen and gets the fresh, hot pot of oats. The blue haired man had a lot of stamina, which helped him run back and forth for errands. He goes down to the dining room and sees lots of bowls lined up. Still holding the pot, he grabs a ladle and carefully spoons the oats into each bowl. Remembering what Mizuki told him last night, Aoba is careful not to spill it over the sides, as pirates hate wasting any food, even if it is just a drop. All of the pouring was done in a matter of seconds. _Oh wait, coffee!_ Aoba runs back into the kitchen and gets the pitchers of coffee. He looked at the table; he did it all so quickly.

            “Cabin boy! Pour the—“ The cook walks into the dining room. The man was tall and muscular for a cook. His scruffy hair was a platinum blonde, and he had dark brown eyes.

            “Oh, sorry. I already did it.” Aoba smiled apologetically.

            “No, it’s fine, actually it’s better, thank you.” The cook looks at Aoba for a little bit. “Oh yeah, you’re the new one, right?”

            “Yep. I’m Aoba, nice to meet you.”

            “Nice to meet you too, Aoba. I’m Takemoto, the cook, obviously. You’ll probably help me a lot out here.” It was about time someone talked to Aoba on this ship. Not many people really exchanged formalities with him since he came. Takemoto began looking at Aoba’s now bruised up, swollen jaw, and it didn’t take long for Aoba to realize him staring.

            “Is it that bad?”

            “It’s not the worst I’ve seen the captain do to someone, but it’s not looking too well. Maybe go to the surgeon and you’ll heal up soon.” Aoba sighs in response. He’s heard of surgeons on ships, and what he’s heard were not good things. His parents told him a story where their first mate was shot in the leg, so the surgeon had to cut it off. The first mate was given some whiskey to dull the pain, but Aoba’s parents said that they would never forget the pained screams of the poor guy.

            “Well, it’s time to call the crew in for breakfast, will you do the honors?” the cook says to Aoba.

            “What do you mean by that?”

            “Ring the bell.” Takemoto points bronze object on the table.

            “Ah, ok.”

            Aoba picks up the small handle bell from the table and rings it. Immediately, the grown men run into the room and sit at their spots at the table. It was kind of scary how fast they were going. His gaze goes over the room, trying to remember names of people and their ranks. Then he sees his fellow friends, Mizuki and Koujaku. As much as Aoba wants to sit next to them, they were officers, Mizuki was the quartermaster, and Koujaku was apparently the first mate. Aoba sat down at some random spot, next to the teen with the piercings. Noiz, was it? It’s not like Aoba cared too much about this guy, all he knew was that this kid and Koujaku hated each other. The blue haired man started eating his oats. Taking one spoonful, he opens his mouth and puts it in. They were sweet, not too sticky, not too watery. Realizing how hungry he is, Aoba continues eating at a faster pace, still careful not to chew in the area he was punched. He looks over at Noiz, who eats one spoonful and then making a disgusted face.

            “Too sweet…” is all he says.

            Aoba turned to face Noiz, “It’s supposed to be sweet, you know?” Maybe this was just culture shock for the German kid, but Aoba doubted that they didn’t have sweets back there.

            “I know, but still…”

            “Mmm! It’s nice to finally have a warm meal for breakfast.” That’s Mizuki’s voice, Aoba can tell right away from the familiar tone.

            “Isn’t it! Ah, next time we stop at Japan, we need to go to Aoba’s house. His grandmother makes the best food ever!” Aoba spits out his oats when he hears Koujaku’s macho voice say his name.

            “Wow, really? I’m looking forward to it, Aoba,” Mizuki says, smiling, as usual.

            “I guess so,” Aoba jumps in. “You’re always welcome for something to eat.”

            “Did you hear that? When we come back to Japan, we can go to Aoba’s house for some grub.” A bunch of random shipmates start adding on to the conversation.

            “Can I come too?” another voice says.

            “Me too!”

            All of a sudden, Aoba feels kind of embarrassed by what everyone’s saying, but he’s sure they’re just joking. So this was what bonding with crew members was. At the very least, Aoba was glad that people knew his name now. He might as well just go with it. “Yeah! Everyone can come over for food sometime!”

            “Woo-hoo!” almost everyone in the room shouts back. Then laughs were shared and everyone had a great time. It felt like they were all family; like they knew each other all of their lives.

            “What is all of this ruckus?” Of course, it’s Captain Mink. Once he came into the room, everyone shut up, eating or pretending to eat their oats. Mink rolls his eyes upon seeing his crew act this way. “Sailing master, when will we be reaching our destination?”

            Yuzawa was the name of the sailing master, in charge of sailing and navigation. He is known for always getting the best and fastest routes. Speaking of which, Captain Mink never really calls anyone by their first name. It was strange not to get on a personal level with your crew mates, but after all, Mink is strange. Instead of names, Mink chose nicknames. Sometimes it was just the person’s rank, other times it was a trait about them. Mizuki told Aoba that his nickname from Mink was “Teardrop”. Even though he is a fellow officer, the captain refuses to call anyone by their first name.

            “We’ll most likely get there tomorrow morning, Captain.”

            “Good, good. For now, everybody take it easy, but not too easy. Keep up with your responsibilities and remember the plans for tomorrow. We’re going to invade the South Koreans in the morning, everyone knows what to do, right?”

            “Yes, captain,” all of the crew repeats.

            After breakfast is over, everyone reports back to their daily routine. Aoba felt excited to finally do what pirates are made to do, steal. Of course, he wouldn’t do anything except stay in the boat and run more errands, but he was excited for the others to do something. All Aoba really did that day was clean and fetch buckets of water for people to wash themselves. Sure it was boring, but he had to work his way up to the top, like Koujaku did. Someday, he’ll have as much fun as Koujaku, manning a ship around. It’s Aoba’s dream to have his own ship. After he gets enough experience on the Dream Catcher, he plans to buy one of his own and hire a crew. Just the thought sounded so good to Aoba, no more cleaning dirty floors, no more horrible captains who boss people around. When Aoba would become a captain, he would be kind to his shipmates, unlike Mink. Aoba couldn’t wait to leave this horrible place, and most of all, leave that horrible captain. It was just within a matter of time. Though, soon enough, Aoba had another task ahead, an even harder one.

            “Aoba, we need you to bring some bath water into the captain’s room.”

            “B-but… Can’t you get someone else to do it?”

            “All of the other cabin boys are on their breaks; it’s your turn to. He said he wanted it right now.”

            Aoba was talking to another fellow cabin boy, probably about the same age as him. Aoba sure was unlucky with the captain today. It’s almost feels as if it was fate. Either way, it couldn’t be avoided. Aoba wouldn’t allow himself to be afraid of the captain forever. He went to the bottom of the ship and turned the faucet, releasing slow streams of water. He had grabbed a bucket on the way, so he just put his hand under the faucet until the water seemed warm enough to wash him with. He made sure to get a fluffy towel on the way, so the captain could dry himself off after he was done. The blue haired man ever so carefully walked back up to the main deck, making sure not to spill the water. Aoba took the bucket and towel to the large door, labeled “Captain’s Quarters”. This whole time, he walked as slowly as he could, trying to avoid going in there as long as he could, until another cabin boy went off of break. However, his attempts did not work. He made it to the door, trembling a little bit. Aoba suddenly remembered the huge bruise he had from the punch. Using his free hand, he slowly lifted his fingers and touched the wound ever so slightly. It was really swollen, and it stung with pain when it was touched. _This is how much damage the captain can do._ Still afraid, Aoba slowly brought his hand to the door. Three knocks sound out, _knock knock knock._

            “Um, you sent me for water?”

            “Yes, come inside.”

            Hearing these words, Aoba slowly grasped the gold knob and opened the door, a creaking sound being made in the process. He pulled his bucket into the room. Aoba observes around the room. It was really nice and much, much larger than Aoba’s room. There was a table with a world map on it, and a shelf covered with books. There seemed to be lots of ornaments and dreamcatchers hanging above on the ceiling. Finally there was a large bed, with the captain sitting on it. Aoba was surprised to see him wearing reading glasses and looking so relaxed. Mink always had a stern look on his face, and he never seemed like the type to wear glasses. Mink starts looking up at him and he frowns right when he sees the blue hair. He takes off his glasses and puts his book down.

            “Do you want me to set it here?” Aoba gestures to an empty area on the ground.

            “No, come closer.”

            Aoba felt intimidated by the captain’s presence. The cabin boy slowly scooted closer and closer to Mink’s bed.

            “Right there is fine.”

            Aoba stops right there like how Captain Mink said. He sighs, relieved that he didn’t have to come any closer and sets down the bucket and towel. As Aoba breathes in again, he smells that same smell of cinnamon. Of course Mink’s room would smell of himself, but having the scent all around Aoba was so pleasing. Then the younger man realized that he had to get out of here, and fast.

            “Where’s the rag I need to clean myself with?” The captain says rather nonchalantly.

            “Oh, ah, I’m sorry! I’ll be right back.” How stupid was he to forget the rag? His mind was so tangled up with thoughts of Mink that he forgot the washcloth. He quickly ran down the stairs, grabbed the first “clean” rag he could find and brought it up. It’s funny how he’s acting the exact opposite way he was acting this morning. Aoba abruptly opened the door walks towards the bed and is surprised with the sight he sees before him, yet again.

            There is the captain of the ship, with his shirt off, showing off his smooth tan skin and muscles. Aoba glanced at his chest for a little bit before looking away completely. The glimpse of what he saw was pretty phenomenal. As a guy, he had to admit that Mink was ripped; there’s no easier way to put it.

            “Excuse me, please.” Aoba walks towards the shirtless captain, hands him the rag, and then tries to take off as quick as he can.

            “Stop.” Aoba hears the gruff voice. _Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit._

            Aoba slowly turns around and faces towards Mink, trying not to look below his shoulders.

            “Help me wash my back.”

            This would seem normal to any other cabin boy; because they were used to having these types of requests, but Aoba was still new at this, so he felt very awkward. It was awkward enough to be in the same room as his half-naked captain, but now he had to wash his half-naked captain’s back. What a fun time.

            “Ok, I’m coming over.” He’d better start getting used to this after all. It’s just Aoba found it weird that just this morning Mink punched him in the face and now he’s just going to clean his back. Are they just going to forget about what happened? Aoba saw Mink still sitting on the bed. “Um, are you sure you want to sit on the bed? It might get wet…” Aoba tried to sound like he cared, he kind of did.

            “Will you even be able to reach my back if I stand up?” Mink had a point there, but the blankets looked really nice, and Aoba was bound to get water on places other than Mink’s back. He had to do it while standing on the hardwood.

            “… I’ll try my best to, captain.”

            “Then,” Mink stands up and Aoba moves out of the way. The captain was a whole lot taller than the small cabin boy.

            “Yes… That’s ok.” It really wasn’t ok, but Aoba will manage to find a way.

            Aoba takes the rag and dips it into the warm water. He wrung it out a little bit and then placed it on Mink’s large back. Aoba tried not to look, but he had too. The captain’s muscles were fairly firm and warm; Aoba could feel them through the thin rag. In circular motions, the shorter man kept scrubbing Mink’s back, dipping the rag back into the water, and repeating the process. Aoba kept rubbing in smooth, gentle circles, moving his fingertips along. Mink had no reaction whatsoever; he must have been used to it. During this time it was just silent. No one said a word. Only the sounds of water being wrung out and the rag touching Mink’s skin were audible. Eventually, it was time for Aoba to wash the upper part of Mink’s back. The blue haired man couldn’t precisely wash with his arms reached out, so got up on his tippy toes to get a better angle. On his toes, he reached out again and continued to graze the large deltoids in front of him. _This must look really pathetic._ Aoba had to do it though. Dipping the rag in the bucket one more time, Aoba stood up as high as he could and went to finally wipe the nape of the taller man’s neck. Stretching out as far as he could, Aoba realized he couldn’t keep his balance. He fell forward, dropping the rag in the process. Mink was also pushed by the force, causing him to his the bucket, sloshing water over the sides.  

            “Ahh! I’m so sorry, I’ll clean it up right away, Captain.”

            Flustered, Aoba took the towel from the ground, got on his knees, and started wiping off the water. He really screwed it up this time. Aoba felt the Captain’s gaze on him, but he just kept cleaning up the water like there was no tomorrow.

            “Tch. It’s fine. It’s clean enough.” Mink’s tone is as cold as ever.

            “Are you sure?”

            “Yeah, just get out of here.”

            “Aye, aye…” Aoba says this unenthusiastically. His goal was to show that damn captain that he was not a disgrace, but all Aoba showed him was how much of a klutz he is.

            After feeling pretty uncomfortable leaving the captain’s quarters, Aoba gets along with the rest of the day. Sometimes his mind would fill up with embarrassment when he remembered what had happened in the captain’s room, but he pushed those feelings aside. After helping out with dinner and other things like that, Aoba goes back to his room. He already missed Ren. Once Aoba goes in, he quickly zips open his bag and takes out the sleeping blue lump of fur.

            “Hello, Ren.”

            Ren’s tiny eyes open up and he licks his owner’s face.

            “Hello. Are you ok, Aoba?” Ren was probably talking about the big bruise left by the captain.

            “Yeah, I’m fine.” Aoba wasn’t completely lying. His jaw still hurt, but it had gotten a lot better since this morning.

            “I’m glad you’re ok.”

            “Thank you. I missed you a lot.” Aoba picked up the small pup and put his forehead on his. “We’re finally going to stop somewhere tomorrow, can you believe it?! This whole pirate thing has been so boring so far, but I’ll be excited when the action happens tomorrow.”

            “I’m happy for you.”

            “Well, I better get some rest for the work tomorrow. Goodnight!”

            “Goodnight, Aoba.”

            Aoba tucks himself into the thin sheets of the small bed. He instantly starts remembering how much his jawbone hurt when it hit the side of the pillow. In attempt to fall sleep, he just kept thinking in this head, _soon I will be done with this, soon I will be done with this._ Those thoughts started calming down, and soon enough, Aoba fell into a deep sleep.

           

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how pirates bathe?!! I just made it up, I thought it was cute. Hey! Sexual tension! Why not? The next chapter will be KouNoi, so look out for that!


	5. Robbing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Koujaku and the rest of the crew loot Korea. Noiz is affected too...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for KouNoi! I never really like love-hate relationships, but this one kind of works for me. I apologize ahead of time, I can't write action scenes to save my life. Anyways, I put a Love Live! reference in there somewhere. Can you find it?

 

         Koujaku woke up. It’s time. He jumped out of his bed and started getting ready for the raiding. Four years have passed since Koujaku started working on the ship. At first, he started out as a mere cabin boy. Slowly but surely, he got used to life on the boat. Koujaku is known as an exceptional swordsman and fighter. Most pirates tend to use guns and the latest technology, but Koujaku prefers it old-fashioned. Sometimes his swordsmanship really helps the crew. One event in particular showcases this. In fact, the event makes him fairly famous. The Dream Catcher crew was stopping in Spain, when the Spaniards took all of their ammunition. They thought that they were captured for good, and the Dream Catcher would be no more than a legend. However, Koujaku, still a cabin boy, took out his trusty sword and sliced the Spaniards down. It seemed that whenever Koujaku was angry, it fueled him with a power that no one could beat. Everyone was astonished, including Captain Mink. Koujaku helped take back a lot of the captive shipmates, and they took back their ammunition and the Spaniard’s gold. After that incident, the captain raised Koujaku’s status. After all, he basically saved them. Koujaku was still getting ready for the day. He always wears a bright red jacket, earning the nickname “Red” from the captain. He slips on the jacket, puts on his boots, and walks into the hall.

         The halls are notably rambunctious today, like they are on most attack days. _I wonder how Aoba is doing…_ Koujaku remembers what happened to Aoba the day prior. Even though the blue haired man put a smile on his face at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Koujaku knew that Aoba was not ok. The older man had seen horrible damage done by their captain. To be honest, Aoba was let off easily, which makes everyone on the ship wonder. Why did Mink let Aoba keep his allmate? Why did he let him go so easily?

         Koujaku started looking out onto the horizon, pondering other things. It was about dusk time, so it was hard to see anything. Plus the fog made it even harder. This gave the Dream Catcher an advantage if anything. The Koreans won’t see them coming. Koujaku has raided Korea and many other places many times. Every time they are about to raid, Koujaku always feels a tinge of worry. On the outside, he is an overly confident hunk, but he has scared thoughts too. _What if we fail? What if I get fatally wounded?_ These were the questions rolling through his mind. However, he tried to push them aside. He knows the plan by heart, and he knows that he is capable of doing so. Though, his day dreaming came to end when he saw the land on the horizon. It’s time for real now.

          “All right! C’mon crew! Let’s go!” Koujaku’s deep, yet energetic voice sounds out through the whole ship.

          As soon as they dock, men start jumping off the ship onto the cold, sand. Some choose to go down the ladder, but it was quicker to jump off. Koujaku is about to take a step off, before he looks over to his left. There’s that Noiz kid, why is he even trying to join in? Noiz was only a couple inches shorter than Koujaku, but he was eight years younger than him. Koujaku was obviously his superior, but Noiz always pretended to be as good as him. It was really aggravating. _Just like any other reckless teen…_ Noiz took off his hat, showing off his short, fluffy strawberry blonde hair. He scratched his had a little bit. Perhaps noticing Koujaku’s gaze, Noiz mutters something.

          “Why aren’t you moving?”

          “Eh? Don’t ask me. Why aren’t you going?” Koujaku snaps back.

          “Are you staring at me?”

          “No, I have work to do. There’s no time to babysit brats like you.”

           Noiz rolls his eyes. Koujaku tries to ignore these childish actions. He jumps off the deck and onto the sand. Once he landed, the texture of the sand was relieving. It was nice to finally feel some real ground for once. As much as he wanted to stay and touch the land, Koujaku had to keep going. The other shipmates had already started to sneak in. They place was heavily guarded, so it wasn’t long until they were spotted. Men were shooting back and forth, hiding behind rocks and such. The Koreans had a lot of gear. For example they had weapons called eye-rifles that could mark a person, making them visible to the Koreans for long periods of time. Though, none of this cool tech could match the Dream Catcher’s brawn and spirit. Koujaku unveils his sword and starts intimidatingly slicing around. He spotted a Korean aiming their gun at him. The Korean slowly pulled back the trigger, and in that moment, Koujaku skillfully dodged the bullet. His lightning fast reflexes made him a great second in command. First in command of course was Mink, and Mink was one fighter. Some say that the captain killed a man using only one thumb. His brute strength was definitely way stronger than anyone else’s.  

           Koujaku wasn’t obsessed with inflicting damage onto people, but when the time came, he had to. It gave him sort of an adrenaline rush, but it was not all too pleasant. After all, he is really a caring guy to people. Another enemy was in front of Koujaku, before the enemy could reload their gun, Koujaku swiftly cuts a line down their arm, making the Korean fall down to the ground in pain. He feels slightly sorry for the people he hurts, but he has to keep going. This is what being a pirate is all about.

           More backups come in for the Koreans, and many begin going over to Koujaku. One set a hard punch onto Koujakus chest, which hurt. A lot. Though, his instinct told him to fight back. He took the back of the sword, and hit the person in front of him with the blunt damage. Another one came with a gun. Koujaku attempted to knock the gun out of their hands, but it failed. They shot a bullet which ended up grazing Koujaku’s hand. It burned off some of his skin, leaving a dark mark.

           “Tch.” It hurt, and bad. The bullets were really strong, even though it barely touched him. Still, he’s experienced worse pain in the past.

           Koujaku swings his blade in the general direction of the person. He’s a little bit off target due to the pain, but he sees the person in front of him fall to the ground, meaning the hit was successful.

           “Crew! Get the gold!” Koujaku immediately knew it was Mink’s low voice saying these commands. He had to obey orders from the captain after all. He began running towards the vault where the Koreans most likely placed their gold. It was guarded for the most part, but there were still crewmates putting up a fight, which occupied most guards. This gave Koujaku a great chance to break in while the guards were busy. He was at a fast sprint now, yet still ready to get his sword at any time. Then something, rather someone, catches his eye. None other than Noiz was punching down the people of the opposing force. Looking closer, Noiz was obviously covered with blood and cuts.

            “B-bean sprout! Retreat!”

            The teen, now in Koujaku’s peripheral vision, falls to the ground. Koujaku is completely fazed by this, but he notices more people in front of him. _It will have to wait for now._ He tries to fight them off as much as possible. He punches one right into the face and kicks them down. After another comes up, Koujaku just retreats from the vault. The gold was right in front of him, but he couldn’t leave any shipmate in that fatal condition, even if they were a brat. He dashes towards Noiz. He was only a couple yards away, so he figured he could at least move Noiz to a better place instead of just leaving him on the open ground. Koreans get into his way, but Koujaku just pushes them away with his blade. The more and more he got closer to Noiz, the more and more he saw how much Noiz got hurt. _That damn German, wasting my time for his sake._ After what seemed like forever, Koujaku finally reaches Noiz’s bloody body. He kneels down and takes a look. Noiz seems to be unconscious at the moment, and his clothes are all ripped up. Koujaku places his fingers under Noiz’s jaw. His pulse seemed ok, at least he was alive. The blonde’s face had a huge slash through it, crimson dripping over his eyes and cheek. As Koujaku looks down, examining the man, he sees a small bullet hole on Noiz’s ankle. Is he an idiot? Fighting while shot? Whatever it was, Koujaku continues to lift Noiz up bridal style. Noiz was pretty heavy, but Koujaku managed to hold him tightly. His body was aching from the minor injuries on him, though he ignored them completely. Now that he realized it, he didn’t know what to do with Noiz’s essentially lifeless body. His crewmates were still looting and the surgeon was on the boat. Koujaku kept searching for someone or something to help. He felt desperate for someone to lend a helping hand. Realizing he was standing in the middle of a battle field, he runs for shelter under a large rock. The greyish rock was big enough to cover Noiz’s body if he laid down, so Koujaku would just leave him there until the raid was over. Anyways, he had business to tend to.

            Dusk had turned to dawn. The Dream Catcher crew was becoming outnumbered. They needed to get the gold really fast.

            “Don’t leave me.”

            The words startle him. Koujaku looks back down at the person on the ground. It seemed out of character for the cold teen to say this. Of course, no one would want to be left in that condition, but Koujaku had to go. He felt sorry for him, but Noiz kind of brought it upon himself.

            “I’m sorry.” Koujaku turns his back onto Noiz, and he continues to run back off.

            He felt guilty, but this is what pirates do. Koujaku was now very far off track of the vault. He had to catch up soon. He started fighting as many of the enemies as he could. Seeing what the Koreans did to Noiz filled him up with the same ruthless anger. It’s not that he cared for Noiz in particular, but Koujaku admittedly gets easily provoked. Whoever messes with his crewmates will prepare to suffer the consequences.

            “Take that!” He yells at some guy with a gun, while landing a kick into the man’s groin. The man thoughtlessly grabs his crotch, giving Koujaku an opportunity to beat him down.

            The adrenaline fills up Koujaku’s body. At some point, the whole invasion blurs in Koujaku’s mind. He can’t really comprehend much. All he knows it to get to the gold as quick as he can. _This always happens…_ More guards are next to the vault, and it seems almost impossible to distract them. The sharpshooters had already been marked with the eye-rifles, making them basically useless when trying to attack stealthily. Though, the team still had Koujaku, who runs in and stabs his sword right through a guard’s armor. More shipmates come to back him up. All of them push the Koreans off as much as they can. Finally, after so much work and effort, they reach the vault. The gold was underground, and it was covered with a hatch and lock. Koujaku used his sword to cut open the lock and he slowly lifted up the doors of the vault. Koujaku’s eyes widened at the sight of the wonderful treasures and doubloons. They really shone through in the sun rise, and it was so relieving to see the gold color after seeing so much red.

            “Men! We have hit jackpot!” Koujaku smiles. “Go on, quickly collect everything.”

            One by one, the men jump into the large vault. With their burlap sacks, they grab and grab as much gold as they can. Koujaku too goes into the ditch and collects every treasure he can find. After the vault is completely empty, the men scurry out. The Koreans still on the field start rapidly shooting. This is the hardest, most dangerous part. Many people get injured while running the booty back to the ship.

            Koujaku hears incoherent voices yelling in the background. It’s time to start dashing.

            “Go go go!”

            Hopefully all of the shipmates can come back with minimal injuries, though the Koreans are really putting up a fight. All of the shooters are constantly reloading and shooting at the Dream Catcher crew. It was every man for himself at this point. Screams are audible throughout this event. Some people must have been injured, but not fatally, which is good. The ship’s surgeon can take care of bullets in limbs, but if there’s a bullet in a vital organ, then chances of survival are very low. Koujaku reaches the ship, and he goes up the ladder onto it. He was safe, for now. Another man needed help to get back up onto the ship, so Koujaku lent an arm out for him to grab onto.

            “Good work today.” Koujaku said to the man.

            “You too. I hope the ship doesn’t get too destroyed as we leave.”

            “Yeah, I doubt they had the cannons to do that.”

            “Either way, it’s nothing Noiz can’t fix.”

            _… Oh fuck._ Koujaku almost forgot. _Noiz… He’s still down there…_

            The sailing master yells, “We’re going to leave soon, so—“

            “Wait! Noiz is still down there!” Koujaku shouts. Gasps are heard around the ship. Koujaku is not hesitant to jump down from the ship and back onto the familiar sandy ground.

            The Koreans are still there, and they aim at Koujaku, who is an easy target because no one else is there except him. Thankfully, it was pretty foggy and the gunpowder in the air made it hard to see. If the conditions weren’t like this, Koujaku would have probably been dead.

There were so many rocks, Koujaku looked behind all of them, and none had Noiz behind them. Koujaku started to worry a lot. The Dream Catcher has never left anyone behind before. Koujaku was risking the lives of all of the people on the ship. Maybe the crew will leave without him. These worries were running through his head again, but he tried to keep his cool and find Noiz.

            “Brat! Where are you?”

            Koujaku kept looking. The fog made it almost impossible to see anything.

            “Beansprout?!”

            Still nothing. Only the sound of distant gunshots. Koujaku was the one who left him there, he would be the one to find him.

            “N-Noiz!”

            He ran towards the emptiness. There, in front of Koujaku, was a large grey rock. He saw strawberry blonde hair poke it from behind it. He feels so relieved, so happy.

            Going behind it, Koujaku sees the teen, still covered in blood. He swiftly scoops up the smaller man like a baby. Then, he proceeds to run for his life. Koujaku didn’t even know if Noiz was still alive, though he held the brat like his life depended on it. He heard his shipmates yelling at him to come back. Once he came into close proximity of the boat, he saw the crew hanging over the deck, like all of them wanted to help him up. Their sad faces lit up when the saw Noiz, safe in Koujaku’s arms. The Koreans were still shooting at them. Koujaku climbed up the ladder as quick as he could, with Noiz in his arms. Finally he got onto the dirty, moldy deck, which felt a lot more comforting than usual.

            “Sailing master, go!” Captain Mink yells loudly. The Koreans were still going at it. Slowly but surely, the boat began moving forward, away from the coast. Koujaku sighed, looking onto the ocean. Eventually, the foggy Korean land was just blurred in the distance. It was calming to know that they were far from that place. They would never need to come back.

            “Good work,” Mink says in his monotone voice. He went to his room for a while beforehand, probably to count all of the pickings from this raid. “We got a lot this time around. Paychecks will be given out soon.”

            Thank goodness the booty was authentic. If not so, they would have risked their lives for nothing.

            “Also, Red. Meet up with me in my office.”

            That’s Koujaku’s cue. _Mink is probably angry at me for risking all of our lives._ The air is stiff and everyone looks at Koujaku. Mizuki is standing there too. Koujaku looks at him, and Mizuki mouths some words to him. “ _It will be alright.”_ Koujaku sure hoped so. The indigo haired man abruptly began walking, following the captain into his room. Koujaku wasn’t as afraid of the captain as some shipmates, but he was still mildly afraid. As soon as the two were in the room, the rest of the crew went back to their daily work. Mink went to his table and pulled out a chair for Koujaku to sit. The captain himself sat as well.

            “Listen up, Red. What you did back there was impulsive, dangerous, and stupid.”

            “I’m so sorry captain,” Koujaku bowed his head in an apologetic manner. “I won’t do it ever again. I was selfish and I could have killed everyone. I-I’ll do anything to make up for it.”

            “But you didn’t.” Captain Mink takes out his pipe and blows a bit.

            “What…”

            “Leave no man behind. That’s what we always say. You were brave for the sake of another. Bravery is a trait every first mate needs. We were successful; there is no need to be so sorry. You always care for the crew so much. Thank you.”

            “Captain…”

            “However, Maniac’s state is…” Noiz’s nick name from Mink was ‘Maniac’. Noiz did look kind of like a maniac at first glance.

            “Ah…”

            “He’ll be staying in the ship for a while to recover. We need his familiarity with technology. Meanwhile, you will help take care of him.”

            “What?”

            “You’re not completely forgiven for your immature actions; this is how you’ll make up for it. After all, you said you would do anything.” Mink smirks a little as he says this, which is strange for him. Usually he makes the same face all of the time.

            “You’re not actually serious, are you?”

            “Red, I’m always serious. You’re the one who left him out there in the first place, right?”

            As if being first mate wasn’t hard enough, now he had to actually babysit that brat. This was a cruel and unusual punishment. But Mink was captain; he had to listen to him.

            “Fine, I’ll take care of… Noiz.”

            “Good, then it’s settled. He seems to really look up to you. He was the one who requested you take care of him.”

            “No way. That guy hates me.” Koujaku was stunned by Mink’ words. Noiz looks up to me?

            “You would be surprised. Anyways, go to work. Get out of my room. Your first job is to visit Maniac. Room 613.”

            “Aye…” Koujaku’s voice was very unenthusiastic. Heck, he was unenthusiastic. He couldn’t help but imagine the beansprout’s stupid face when he sees that Koujaku has to take care of him. Koujaku started looking down the hall for room 613. Seeing the door at the end of the hallway, Koujaku knocks as hard as he can.

            “I’m here, you worthless piece of shit!”

            “You’re so loud. Come on in.” Koujaku hears Noiz’s voice mumbled behind the door. The indigo haired man opens the door and there is Noiz lying in bed. He had bandages over his face, probably from the slash. His arms and torso were wrapped up as well. It must have been bad. At least he was ok.

            “Geez, did you do this to torment me?”

            “Maybe…” Noiz looks away for a little bit.

            “Hey! I’m going to kill you someday!”

          “You can’t. If so, Mink will probably make you walk the plank. Now go fetch me some biscuits, I’m starving.”

            “And why should I do that for you, princess?”

            “If you don’t, then Mink will—“ That’s all Noiz had to say to get Koujaku to do it.

            “OKAY! I’ll get you some damn biscuits. Just don’t mention the captain anymore.” Koujaku was pissed right now. This teen picked up from Germany, who barely has any experience, can now use Koujaku as a personal servant. How much more embarrassing can this get?

            “Yay.” Noiz droned apathetically.

            “Are you ok, or not? I think you were shot in the ankle.”

            “I’m fine. They had to pull out the bullet and sterilize the area, but it’s ok.”

            “Ouch, that must have hurt a lot.”

            Noiz just looked up at him in response. Then Koujaku heard a stomach growl rather loudly.

            “That tells me that I need to get you some food right now.” Koujaku smiled.

            “Wait, before you go,” Noiz’s voice sounding a bit needy.

            “What could it possibly be this time?”

            Suddenly Noiz pulled himself up, and then pushed his lips onto Koujaku’s. Noiz’s hand reached out to touch Koujaku’s cheek, while Koujaku just stood there next to the bed. The touch of Noiz’s lips is soft, which is not what Koujaku would have expected with Noiz’s piercings and such. Not that Koujaku ever expected anything like this to happen. They were there for a couple of seconds until Koujaku pulled away, wiping off his mouth. He was in absolute shock.

            “Thanks for saving me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Interesting, huh? I was going to write Koujaku's reaction, but I liked leaving off at Noiz's last words. The reference was "start dashing" btw. The next chapter will be Aoba centric again.


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